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La Canada Unified board votes to open talks on extending Superintendent Wendy’s contract amid recovery
Summary
The La Canada Unified School District governing board voted to begin discussions with Superintendent Wendy about a one-year contract extension and to pause the external superintendent search, citing community recovery needs after the Eaton Fire.
La Canada Unified School District’s governing board voted at its regular meeting to engage in discussions with Superintendent Wendy about extending her contract through the 2025–26 school year and to pause the district’s ongoing superintendent search.
Board President Caroline opened the discussion by saying the Eaton Fire “has displaced numerous students and staff, many of whom have lost their homes,” and urged the board to consider continuity for the coming year. Caroline said she favored “pausing the search for a new superintendent and instead open discussions with Wendy, to extend her leadership through the 2025–26 school year,” to give the community time to recover.
Several board members voiced support for the proposal during the meeting, calling the current period “unprecedented” and saying introducing a new superintendent immediately would complicate district recovery. After Superintendent Wendy said, “I’d be very open to and would look forward to discussing that with you and the governing board,” a motion to engage in discussions passed. The motion did not finalize any contract extension; it authorized board leadership to begin talks with the superintendent.
Board members and staff said the proposal was intended to provide leadership continuity while the district addresses student displacement, staff losses and other effects of the fire. No vote tally was recorded in the publicly available transcript; the meeting records state only that the motion passed.
The board’s action was procedural: it directs further negotiation rather than approving a contract amendment. The board president said she expects the governing board and district leadership to conduct those discussions and report back at a future meeting. The board’s next regular meeting was set for Feb. 25; the district also scheduled a special “brunch-and-learn” style meeting on Feb. 21 to address budget issues discussed elsewhere on the agenda.
